That Time Rose Got Sick
by bentkitty100
Summary: Rose gets sick. A fluffy, Nine/Rose sickfic because Nine doesn't get enough love. Disclaimers: I do not own Doctor Who, or the characters of the Doctor, Rose, or the TARDIS, all credit for those goes to the BBC. Credit for the cover picture goes to Alizarin on deviantART.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"Okay, so remind me - where are we, what are we doing here, and what's with the gas masks?"

"We're on a planet called Sartigona. We're here because the Sartigones - those are the aliens that live here - are being attacked by the Tragilicantis and need help."

"And the gas masks?"

"The Tragilicantis are dumping bombs full of poisonous gas on Sartigona. The gas will kill a Sartigone with one whiff, since the Sartigones are about two feet tall. They're all hiding underground to avoid breathing in the gas, but they're going to starve down there."

"And what about the two of us?"

"Well, Time Lords aren't harmed by the gas, so I'm good to go. It smells nasty to us, though, which is why I have a mask on."

"And me?"

"It won't kill you instantly, but if you're overexposed to it, it won't be fun."

"And that means?"

"Keep your gas mask on."

The Doctor and Rose had had quite a few adventures of the "saving-other-planets" variety, but this was the only time that Rose was a little bit scared. Poisonous gas was a new one for her. She didn't want to know what would happen if she breathed in the gas.

The Doctor, sensing her fear, took her hand. "You'll be fine, Rose. I promise."

"Okay," she said. And, hand in hand, the pair stepped out onto the gas-filled planet.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"We did it, Rose!" said the Doctor as he unlocked and opened the door to the TARDIS. "We saved Sartigona! That was fantastic!"

"Yeah, like we've done every other planet in existence," said Rose. "Honestly, I'm used to saving planets by now. It's part of traveling with a PISS, you know." PISS, or Professional Intergalactic Space-time Superhero, was how Rose jokingly referred to the Doctor.

"It's really starting to piss me off, if you'll excuse the pun," said the Doctor.

"That pun was inexcusably lame," Rose retorted.

"Well, anyway, where to and when to next, Rose Tyler? Your choice. No danger alerts coming up on the TARDIS, so it looks like we can go wherever and whenever we want. What'll it be?"

"Actually, Doctor, I'm tired," said Rose. "I think I need to get some sleep."

"You humans, always needing to sleep," said the Doctor. "Here, let me take off your gas mask for you."

"Thanks." The Doctor helped Rose with her gas mask. "It is late, actually," he said. as he put the mask on a table. "It should feel like ten at night for you. And we've had a busy day. You should get some sleep."

"Are you going to go to sleep?"

"In a little while. I'm going to read for a few hours."

"Okay," said Rose. "Goodnight, Doctor."

"Night, Rose." He watched as Rose turned away and left the console room for her bedroom.

He turned to the table to pick up his book, but he saw something odd on Rose's gas mask. He picked up the gas mask and turned it slowly, until he saw it: a hole in the mask, one where gas could easily get in and out… like the poisonous gas that they had just been exposed to.

This can't be good, thought the Doctor.

And just as he thought that, he heard a loud noise in the hallway - one he identified easily as a human body hitting the ground.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The Doctor ran as fast as he could - which was pretty fast - to where he had heard the sound. When he got there, he saw Rose collapsed on the ground.

"Rose!" He knelt down and felt her pulse. "Good - she's alive. Fantastic. Well, looks like Rose needs a Doctor," he said, grinning as he gently scooped her up and carried her into the TARDIS's hospital-room-type-thing.

The TARDIS spoke in his head when he arrived. _You haven't been here in a very long time_, she said.

"I know," said the Doctor.

_What happened?_

"I didn't check the gas masks carefully. Rose's was broken."

_So she breathed in the gas?_

"Unfortunately."

_I'm scanning her,_ said the TARDIS. _The gas has worked its way into her system. You can give her the antidote, and that will keep her alive, but as for working the poison out of her body, it is too late for either of us to do anything. The poison will have to leave on its own._

"And what does that mean for Rose?" asked the Doctor as he got the antidote from his vast supply of medicines.

_Hell_.

"Fantastic," said the Doctor. He poured the antidote into a syringe.

_How is that fantastic? Rose Tyler is going to suffer._

"She won't suffer that badly," said the Doctor as he injected the syringe into Rose's arm. She flinched a little, and then relaxed again. "Rose is tough. Besides, now I have an excuse to be around her every second."

_You really would do anything to be close to that girl,_ said the TARDIS._ It's a bit scary, actually._

Just then, Rose began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Where am I?" she asked. "Doctor?"

"I'm here," he said.

"Where am I?" she asked again. She tried to push herself up. "Ow!"

"What is it?" The Doctor was sorting through his medicines.

"My arm… it hurts…"

"Probably from the injection I had to give you. You shouldn't sit up, anyway. Lie back down, Rose."

"Injection?"

"Lie down, Rose," said the Doctor, not turning around.

"What injection? What happened?"

"Rose. Lie down."

"Tell me what happened!"

"I'm not telling you until you lie down."

"Doctor—"

"Rose Tyler, lie down or else I will come and make you lie down."

Rose finally laid herself back down. "Okay, I'm lying down. Now, for the love of God, what happened?"

"Well… I kind of screwed up…" The Doctor turned towards her, looking sheepish.

"What did you do this time?"

"I didn't check the gas masks carefully, and yours was defective."

"So that means…"

"You've been running around breathing toxic gas all day."

"Nice going," said Rose, rolling her eyes. "So… what now?"

"You're going to be sick for a while… really sick…"

"Like what kind of sick?"

"Like the flu, but worse."

"Ugh, I hate the flu!" said Rose.

"Well, the best way to not be sick for too long is to get sleep. So it's off to bed with you, Rose Tyler. And don't you even think about walking back to your room. You'll just collapse on the ground again."

"Oh, joy," said Rose, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Then, more seriously: "So am I sleeping here?"

"Like I'd let you sleep in here," said the Doctor. Then he picked her up. "Her Royal Highness needs a comfortable bed."

"And, apparently, someone to carry her majesty around," said Rose. "I suppose I can't argue. I am rather tired."

"That you should be, Rose," said the Doctor as he carried her out of the infirmary. "You do have a good deal of poison coursing through your body, and that tends to make people tired."

* * *

The Doctor and Rose reached Rose's bedroom door, which was closed.

"Do me a favor and open the door, Rose," said the Doctor. "I would gallantly open it for you, but I'm a little occupied with carrying you."

"No problem," said Rose as she turned the doorknob. The pair entered Rose's room.

"I think I could fall asleep in about ten seconds," said Rose, yawning.

"Let's test that theory, shall we?" The Doctor carried Rose to her bed. "Hold on, let's get your shoes and jacket off first." He sat her on the bed, leaning up against the headboard, and took her shoes and coat off. "There we go." He gently pulled the covers out from underneath her and helped her lie down between the sheets.

"Are you tucking me in, Doctor?" asked Rose as the Doctor very meticulously pulled the covers over her.

"Me? Tuck you in? Never." The Doctor grinned as he smoothed the covers around her, clearly tucking her in. "Alright, I'm going to go put your coat and shoes away… and properly dispose of that faulty gas mask. I'll be back in about ten minutes to check on you, okay?"

"You really don't need to," said Rose. "I'll be fine in here."

"Last time I left you alone for ten seconds, you passed out on the ground," said the Doctor. "Sweet dreams, Rose." He turned and left the room.

Ten minutes and thirty-six seconds later, the Doctor returned to Rose's room, where he found her sound asleep. He walked over to her side and just looked at her for a while - her soft, blond hair, her relaxed face. He watched her chest rise and fall with her breaths. She was completely covered by her blankets except for her outside arm, which dangled over the edge of the bed. The Doctor gently lifted her arm back onto the bed, tucking it under the covers.

He noticed a loose piece of golden hair dangling over her face. With a delicate touch, he secured the lock behind her ear.

"There you go, Rose," he said softly. "Don't want to get hair in your mouth."

He watched her for another few moments, sleeping peacefully. Then the TARDIS decided to talk in his head.

_She didn't take long to fall asleep._

"She's tired."

_As are you, Doctor. You should get some sleep._

"No, I don't need to sleep."

_I can read your mind, remember? I know you're tired._

"Fine, maybe I'm a bit tired. But I need to keep an eye on Rose."

_She'll be fine. She's asleep._

"Last time I left her alone for ten seconds and she passed out."

_She's already passed out. She'll be fine._

"But what if she wakes up? I don't want to leave her…"

_I'll watch her._

"You'll watch her?"

_She doesn't need to be watched, but if you're really worried, I'll watch her._

"If she wakes up, if anything at all happens to her, you must wake me up. Do you understand?"

_Sure, Doctor._

"Well, in that case…" He bent down. "Goodnight, Rose. Sleep well." He then kissed her forehead. "I love you."

_Awwww…_

"Shut up."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Rose didn't really want to wake up. But she did, because she was thirsty. Very, very, very thirsty.

She usually kept a water glass by her bed, but when she looked for it, it wasn't there. She could've sworn that she had had it when she went to sleep, but it was gone.

She figured she or the Doctor had probably moved it elsewhere in the room, so she tried to get up.

She was about to stand up, when a voice said _Stop!_

"What?"

_Stop._

"Who's there? Who's talking? Why are you telling me to stop?"

_Hush, little one._

"Who are you? Where are you? Are you invisible?" Rose was slowly becoming scared of this mysterious voice.

_Do not be afraid, little one. I am not here to hurt you._

"Where's the Doctor, then?"

_The Doctor is asleep, as you should be. Go back to sleep._

"But who are you? Where are you? And how did you get on the TARDIS?"

_How did I get _on_ the TARDIS? Rose, I _am_ the TARDIS._

Rose's jaw dropped. "You... you're the TARDIS? I didn't know the TARDIS could talk."

_I'm not talking. I'm inside your head. Psychic connection._

"And when, may I ask, did I give you permission to go into my head?"

_It's not like I haven't been in your head before. I translate alien languages for you, remember?_

"Exactly. When did I give you permission to do any of that?"

_Now is not the time to get into a debate about the ethical concerns of my psychic circuit. You need to sleep, little one._

"Honestly, stop calling me little! I'm nineteen years old!"

_And I'm over a thousand years old._

"True... Wait. I thought the Doctor was only nine hundred years old."

_Yes, and I was made about a hundred and fifty years before the Doctor was born._

"So you're one hundred and fifty years older than the Doctor?"

_Yes, but to TARDISes and Time Lords, a hundred and fifty years is hardly anything... wait, why am I still talking to you? Go to sleep, Rose!_

"I'm thirsty."

_You can have something to drink in a little while, after the Doctor wakes up._

"When's that going to happen?"

_Close your eyes, little one, and when you open them, he'll be here._

"What if I blink? That's closing and opening them."

_Rose Tyler, you are something. Now shut up and go to sleep. You know you want to._

"I am rather tired." And with that, Rose rolled over and fell asleep again.

* * *

**Hey y'alls! Wow, this story's been live for three hours and already it has two reviews, three favorites, and four follows! Keep 'em coming!**

**I thought that Rose and the TARDIS needed some bonding time. What do you guys think?**

**Love always,**

**KWP**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

_Doctor, wake up._

"Uhhhh..."

_Doctor. Wake up._

"No... still sleeping..."

_Rose needs you._

"Rose?" The Doctor sat up in bed immediately.

_Knew that would wake you up._

"Is Rose alright?"

_Yes, she woke up for a few moments and then went back to sleep. She's thirsty, apparently._

"When was this?"

_Just seconds ago._

"I'm going to go see her."

_Bring something for her to drink; she's thirsty._

"I can't bring her water; she'll be sick... I can give her juice, though... okay, kitchen, kitchen... which one has the-"

_The one nearest to the console room... or I can just teleport the juice to you._

"That would be helpful. Thanks."

A bottle of juice appeared in the Doctor's hand with a quiet _zap_.

"Perfect. Now... to Rose!"

_You've just been dying to see her._

"Took you that long to figure out?"

_I can read your mind, remember? No... it's just fun when you admit it._

"I hate you."

_You shouldn't say that, Doctor, not to the TARDIS who's helping you spend as much time with Rose Tyler as possible."_

"I'm going to see Rose."

_You do that._

* * *

The Doctor tried to be very quiet as he opened the door, but apparently, he wasn't quiet enough, as Rose opened her eyes.

"Doctor?"

"Hello!" He gave her his usual cheeky grin. "Sorry, did I wake you up?"

"Sort of," she said. "Wait..."

"What is it?"

"'_Close your eyes, and when you open them, he'll be here...'_ Oh, TARDIS, you were right!"

_I always am, little one._

"Stop calling me that!"

"The TARDIS can talk to you?" The Doctor looked perplexed.

_I can talk to anyone, if I want. But I don't talk to most of the idiots who hang around here. That Ricky fellow-_

"Mickey, TARDIS. His name is Mickey." Rose sighed.

_Oh, yeah, Mickey the Idiot. And that Adam guy, too. Wouldn't talk to him if the universe depended on it._

"Well, anyway, now that we've settled the fact that the TARDIS can talk to anyone but is seriously picky about whom she talks to, can someone _please_ get me a glass of water? I'm about to die here."

"Sorry, Rose, no water for you."

"Why not?"

"You'll get sick."

"Fine, but I'm still so thirsty."

"You can have juice. Here." He handed her the bottle. "Wait, sit up before you drink it."

Rose pushed herself up, the Doctor helping her, and easily downed the bottle of juice. It wasn't any kind of juice she had had before, but it was incredibly good. Probably some sort of alien thing, she thought.

"Better?"

"Loads."

"Good. Now back to sleep with you."

"Seriously? Are both of you determined to have me sleep as much as possible."

_It's what's best for you, little one._

"STOP CALLING ME LITTLE!"

"You are little, Rose," said the Doctor. "You're a little pain in the-"

"Oh, shut up.

"I will, if you go to sleep."

"Blackmailing the ill, way to go."

"I'm not blackmailing you! I just want you to get rest!"

"Why? I don't feel sick."

"You will tomorrow, and you're going to have a horrible time, so you need to get some sleep now before you can't sleep."

"That makes no sense."

"Rose. Go. To. Sleep."

_Go to sleep, Rose. Go to sleep._

"Come on, Rose. You're tired anyway; I can see it."

"How?"

"Your eyes. They're just so tired. Like they'd close any second." He gently laid Rose back down, willing her not to sit up. "Don't fight it, Rose. Just go to sleep."

_Sleep, little one._

Rose opened her mouth to protest, but the Doctor took her hand, and she closed it without even knowing why.

"Oh, Rose," said the Doctor. "You'll be so much better off if you don't fight it."

_Sleep, little one._

She didn't even try to protest this time. She was tired, she realized.

"There you go," said the Doctor. "Sleep."

And she did.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Once Rose was asleep, the Doctor left her room.

_You're leaving her?_

"I'm still tired."

_And now you admit it._

"It's not like it matters... you can read my mind."

_That's true._

The Doctor opened his door and sat down on his bed.

_You really love her, don't you?_

"Love her? TARDIS, I _adore _her. Rose Tyler... she's perfect. Fantastic. Completely, utterly fantastic. And... she's so beautiful..."

_She cares about you, too. Quite deeply, actually._

"You've been probing inside her mind? I don't know if she'll like that."

_She doesn't mind. She argues that she does, but she doesn't._

"If you're sure."

_Anyway, the point is, Rose Tyler... she does love you. She cries sometimes at night, because she's afraid you'll see that she's not very special._

"What do you mean, not special? She's more than special."

_She doesn't see herself that way. She thinks that she's more trouble for you than she's worth._

"Why would she ever think that?"

_She blames herself for the Dalek incident, and for Adam, and for what happened with her dad._

"And she cries at night over that?

_For three nights after what happened with her dad, she cried, saying "I'm sorry." At first, I thought she was apologizing to her dad, but she wasn't. She was apologizing to you._

"Rose... oh, Rose, poor thing, I never really forgave her for that. Well, I did, but I never told her. Poor Rose, she must think that I'm still upset."

_She doesn't think you're upset. But she does think you're only keeping her because you're nice._

"Doesn't she remember what I said to Adam? I only take the best."

_Tell her how you feel, Doctor. Just let her know how much you care about her._

"I'm in love with her."

_I know._

"I am in love with Rose Tyler."

_I know._

He sighed softly. "But how do I tell her?"

_Let's make a plan._

"That's my TARDIS."

* * *

"Okay, I think this will work. Now all we have to do is carry it out. Let's go back to Rose's room... wait... Rose! She's been alone this whole time! TARDIS, how long has it been since we left her?"

_Let me check... Oh, dear._

"How long?"

_Three hours, twenty-seven minutes, and thirty-nine seconds._

"No!" The Doctor ran as fast as he could to Rose's room, opened the door, and his hearts stopped.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

She was tossing and turning, crying in her sleep.

He ran to her, laying a hand on her forehead, and drawing it back immediately.

"TARDIS! Temperature! Quickly!"

_Body temperature is at critical level. Teleporting fever reducing injection._

The injection appeared in the Doctor's hand. Whipping the blankets off of her body, he injected the medicine into her arms. Her eyes opened with a start and she sat up, looking around wildly.

"Doctor! Doctor! No! Please don't go!" Her eyes were filled with tears.

"Rose... Rose, it's okay. I'm here." The Doctor laid her back down.

"Doctor?"

"I'm right here, Rose, and I'm not leaving. You just had a bad dream."

"Oh... Well, in that case..." She reached for her blankets, but the Doctor stopped her.

"What? I want to sleep, and I'm cold."

"You aren't cold, Rose, you've got a critically high fever. You're drenched with sweat, look."

Rose then noticed that she was soaking wet. Her bed, too, was saturated in her sweat.

"Oh. Well, I'm freezing cold, and I want to sleep. So what now?"

The Doctor thought for a minute. "Let's get you out of the sweaty clothes and sweaty bed. TARDIS, help Rose."

_Got it, Doctor. Go away so I can change her clothes._

"Okay, and then-"

_Yes, I know. Shoo._

The Doctor left the room so the TARDIS could change Rose's clothes. Once Rose was in a clean pajama set, the Doctor came back in.

"Okay, okay, I know what to do. You need a change of scene. And I know just the place." He picked her up and carried her out of the room.

"Are we going somewhere?"

"No, it's just a room in the TARDIS. You'll like it."

"Okay."

* * *

They reached a door Rose had never seen before.

"This is new," she said.

"I know. Brand-new room." The door swung open by itself, revealing a little room with a comfy chair and bookshelves.

"It's nice," she said.

"There's more." The Doctor carried her to the chair, where he sat down, placing her next to him. "Hope you don't mind that there's only one chair."

"I don't, but I didn't expect you'd ever have me practically on your lap."

"I'm full of surprises, Rose Tyler."

"Okay, so what's next?"

"That wall... it's rather blank, no?"

"Um, yes..."

The Doctor snapped his fingers. The wall shimmered, and then it changed to a view of the stars. "Better?"

"How did you do that?"

"It's a screen. Shows you whatever you want to see. Cool, no?"

"Incredible." She shivered. "I'm so cold, Doctor."

"I know," he said.

"Can't I have a blanket?"

"You can't, Rose. You've got a fever. If I give you a blanket, it'll get worse."

She hugged herself, trying to warm up. "Doctor," she whispered.

He looked at her, and his hearts broke. "Rose, I'm so sorry," he said. "If I could, I would take the TARDIS and find the warmest, softest most incredible blanket in all of time and space, just for you. I'd fight Raxacoricofallapatorians and the Gelth and the Nestene Consciousness and every stinking Dalek in existence to get you that blanket. But I can't, Rose, because it'll make things worse for you."

Rose sighed. "I'm going to try to sleep."

"Okay."

She fell asleep within minutes.

* * *

The Doctor watched her as she slept. Ten minutes passed, and twenty, and thirty, and she slept, quietly, peacefully - or so he thought. But after fifty-six minutes and thirteen seconds, she began crying in her sleep. "Doctor," she said. "Doctor, please don't go. Please." Twenty-five seconds later, her eyes flew open.

"Rose!" said the Doctor. "Rose, what happened?"

She looked around, realized she had been dreaming. "Nothing," she said. "I'm fine. Just a dream."

"Rose, tell me. What happened?"

She sighed, and tried to speak, but she couldn't. She burst into tears.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm sorry for everything."

The Doctor knew what was coming, thanks to the TARDIS, but he decided to let her let everything out.

"I'm sorry for the Dalek, and Adam, and what happened with my dad, and it's all my fault, and I know I'm more trouble than I'm worth, but please, please, just give me another chance! Please don't take me home, Doctor!" She hid her face in her hands. "Please," she whispered.

She kept crying, waiting for the Doctor to respond, but instead heard nothing. Then she felt the Doctor's arms around her, and then under her, lifting her up. The Doctor placed her on his lap, hugging her close.

"I'm not going to leave you, Rose," he said. "Do you hear me? I'm never leaving you. Never. Everything that happened before, with the Dalek and Adam and your dad, none of that matters to me. I don't care. It happened, and we got through it. And even if I did care, I wouldn't leave you. You're fantastic, Rose Tyler, completely fantastic, and I don't care how many stupid idiots you bring on board or how many paradoxes you create, I'll never take you home."

She kept crying, overwhelmed by everything.

"I'm here, Rose," said the Doctor. "I am here. I'm not going anywhere." He held her even closer, despite the feverish burn in her skin. "It's going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay. I'm here, Rose Tyler. I'm here." He stroked her hair gently. "I'm here," he said again.

Her crying became softer and softer, finally stopping. She looked up at the Doctor, not speaking, her eyes red and her face flushed from tears and fever.

"You've been having those dreams a lot, haven't you?"

She nodded. "Every night," she whispered. "They don't stop. I never can really rest, because they just come and come."

"Oh, Rose," he said. "If I had only known, I could have helped you. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she said. "But you aren't going to leave me?"

"Never."

She yawned. "I'm so tired, but I don't want to sleep again. When I'm not having that dream, it's something else, being chased by a Dalek or watching my dad die or some other horrible dream."

"Well, that's going to change," said the Doctor. "No bad dreams tonight."

"How do you know?"

"Oh, I just do." He grinned. "This chair rocks, you know."

"I do like it."

"No... it _rocks_." He began rocking the chair, back and forth.

"Oh..."

"Just go to sleep right here, Rose," he said gently. "Close your eyes, and sleep."

Rose smiled a little, and laid her head against the Doctor's chest, listening to his hearts beat softly. The rocking, and the heartbeats, and his arms around her were so comforting. As she closed her eyes, she had no idea how it could get more soothing.

And then someone began singing. She had never heard the song before, but it was beautiful and calm. The words, the voice... she didn't think people were capable of making that sound.

She didn't really care, though. She just wanted to hold onto that incredible song. As she drifted off to sleep, the song filled her dreams, and for once, she was able to rest.

* * *

The Doctor smiled a little as he sensed Rose's falling asleep, but he didn't stop singing. He had never thought he would be singing to her, but for some reason the song came to him and he sang. He hadn't spoken Gallifreyan for a long time. Not since Gallifrey burned. He shed a tear, remembering being rocked to sleep and hearing that song as a small child. And he kept singing, letting the Gallifreyan fall from his mouth, so unlike any human language, but so beautiful.

Just like her.

He finished the song, and burst into tears.

* * *

**Hey everyone! I just want to give a shout out to all of the people who have followed, favorited, and reviewed this story! You guys are my inspiration :)**

**The next chapter is coming soon, and it features major-league cuteness, I promise!**

**Love always,**

**Kathryn Willa**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

He held her closer, stroking her hair. "I love you, Rose," he sobbed. "I love you so much. I've spent so much of my life hating and fighting and so little of it loving, and I'm not sure what love is, really, but I know that I love you, whatever that means, and I know that I couldn't bear losing you. Even if keeping you meant the world would end, I would keep you by my side until the bitter end, because I love you, Rose Tyler. I love you."

He sighed. "If only you could hear me."

_Trust me, she heard you, _said the TARDIS.

"What? How is that possible?"

_You were making intentional physical contact. The message was directed at her. You wanted her to hear it. That's how telepathy works, no?_

"So I was transmitting all of that into her head the whole time?"

_Without meaning to, yes. She heard it in her dreams._

The Doctor sighed. "Wait, can she hear any of this?"

_No, because you don't want her to hear it._

"Okay, good." He held her close again, putting a hand on her head. "Rose, I know you can hear me now. I want you to know that everything you just heard me say was true. I didn't exactly mean for you to find out that way, but I do mean it. Now, you're going to wake up soon, and you're going to think this whole thing was just a dream, but it's not a dream; I'm really saying all of this, and when you wake up, I'll say it again."

_She's not going to listen to that when she wakes up._

"I know. But it's worth a try."

Just then, Rose began to stir. She moved a little, and then her eyes opened.

"Hello, Rose," said the Doctor cheerfully. "Sleep well?"

Rose yawned and looked around. "No…"

"You didn't sleep well?"

"No… I did…"

"Then what do you mean by 'no?'"

"There was this singing… and then… anyway, it was all a dream."

"It was a good dream, no?""The best I've had in a long time."

"Well, surely you can call it back and have it again. I'll help you." He laid his hands on her head. "Close your eyes."

"No, I don't want to have it again… I want it to be _real_."

"Real, eh?"

"Yeah… It would've been nice for it to be real."

"I see."

"I wish it were real."

The Doctor couldn't hold it in much longer. He began giggling.

"It's not funny, Doctor! I really, really, really wish it were real!"

"Rose, you don't ever listen, do you?"

"What?"

"'Now, you're going to wake up soon, and you're going to think this whole thing was just a dream, but it's not a dream; I'm really saying all of this, and when you wake up, I'll say it again.'"

Rose gasped, and her eyes widened.

"Sounds familiar, no?"

"That's… that's what you said in my dream… How did you know?"

"Rose. Seriously? How did I know? I said that while you were asleep, and you heard me in your dream."

"Wait… so you said… everything you said in my dream?"

"Yes."

"Everything?"

"Yes!"

"Including—"

"YES!"

"You didn't let me finish. I was going to say, 'including the part where you said that you wanted to go to see Mum and have tea.'"

"I never said that!"

"Well, you just said you said you did." Rose giggled.

"Did you hear that?"

"No, I was teasing, but you should be careful, Doctor."

"Anyway… I meant what I said in your dream. All of it. I love you, Rose. I really do."

"Well then," she said. "If that's all, I'm going back to sleep."

"Oh… okay…" The Doctor looked crestfallen. "Sweet dreams, Rose."

"Thanks," she said. Then she kissed his cheek. "I love you too, by the way."

The Doctor couldn't hold it in any longer. He threw his arms around her and kissed her. He didn't know how Rose would react, but he wasn't expecting her to wrap her arms around him and kiss him back.

The kiss didn't last long, but it felt like forever to Rose and the Doctor, a forever that had taken forever to come.

When they broke apart, Rose said "So… does that mean we're an item now?"

"Well, you should probably end things with Mickey the idiot, but… yes."

"I ended things with Mickey the not-such-an-idiot when I picked you over him twice, but I suppose I should give him some closure or something. I'll call him." She tried to stand up, but the Doctor wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back.

"Oh, no you don't. You aren't calling anyone until you're better."

Rose laughed. "All of this, and I forgot that I was sick."

"Funny how that happens," said the Doctor. He felt her forehead. "I think your fever's gone down a good deal. TARDIS, temperature check?"

_Body temperature is 38 degrees._

"Fantastic! Still a fever, but much better. Want a blanket?"

"A blanket would be great," said Rose.

"I know just the one for you. TARDIS, teleport." He grinned at Rose. "Close your eyes. I want it to be a surprise."

"Okay," she said, closing her eyes. In seconds, she felt something thick, warm, and soft wrap around her. "Oh… it's amazing!"

"I thought you'd like it," said the Doctor. "Open your eyes."

She opened them to see that the blanket was not only soft and warm, but beautiful, too. It wasn't black, but a deep midnight blue, purpler in some places, decorated with thousands of little twinkling stars. She saw Orion for a few moments, but then the entire blanket shimmered and the stars changed.

"What just happened?"

"The blanket changes from the sky from Earth to the sky from Gallifrey."

"Gallifrey?"

"My planet."

"Right." She looked at the Gallifrey-version of the blanket. "It's beautiful. There are so many more stars from Gallifrey than from Earth."

"There are constellations, too," said the Doctor. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver.

"What are you doing?"

"Showing you the constellations." He pointed the sonic, drawing from one star to the next, until the words "I LOVE ROSE TYLER" formed in the stars.

"Awww, that's adorable," said Rose. "But I thought you were going to show me Time Lord constellations or something."

"I never said such a thing. I said that there were constellations in our sky, but I never said that the Time Lords saw them. Constellations are just what we see. They're not really there. You just see them. And what I see in these stars is that I love you. So that's our constellation."

"Why do I feel like you could find something like that in the Earth sky, too?"

"I probably could," said the Doctor. The blanket shimmered, and the sky changed again. The Doctor played with the sonic, and within seconds I LOVE ROSE TYLER was written in the Earth sky as well.

"You know, we can see it bigger."

"What?"

"We can see our new constellation bigger." The Doctor snapped his fingers, and the magic wall in the room changed to match the blanket, I LOVE ROSE TYLER outlined in white.

"Lovely," said Rose. "Wait…"

"What?"

"There was singing in my dream, too."

"Yeah?"

"Was that you?"

The Doctor grinned. "Did you like it?"

"It was you!"

"Yes, and did you like it?"

"I loved it. It was so beautiful."

"Like you," he said.

"Do you think…"

"What?"

"Do you think you could sing it again?"

The Doctor smiled. "Sure, Rose," he said. "Close your eyes."

"Why should I close my eyes?"

"Well, you want to go to sleep, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Besides, it's nice to just listen."

"Okay," said Rose, curling up close to him.

As the Doctor sang the song again, he looked down at the blond-haired girl cuddled close on his lap and smiled. Before he had finished, she was sound asleep. But he finished the song, placing his hand on her head so she could hear the song in her dreams. He had never realized how much he liked singing, but he did like this.

He would have sung the song a thousand times for her, but his voice was tired. So instead, he had the TARDIS teleport an old music box into the room and wound it up, letting a different Gallifreyan lullaby play in Rose's dreams while he held her close, stroking her hair, rocking the soft chair back and forth.

"Sweet dreams, Rose," he said softly into her ear. He kissed her cheek softly. "I love you."

The TARDIS didn't tease him that time.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

It was ten p.m. when the Doctor decided that he should bring Rose back to her room. She was getting heavy in his arms, and he was tired, and besides, her bed would be much more comfortable than the chair.

He gently moved her off of his lap, hoping she wouldn't wake up, but her eyes opened.

"Wha?"

"Go back to sleep, Rose."

"Wha's goin' on?"

"I'm going to bring you back to bed. That's all. C'mere." He scooped her up.

"Oh…" Even through the tiredness, her eyes seemed sad.

"Something wrong, Rose?"

"Oh… It's just that I liked…"

"Liked what?"

"Liked… liked being with you." Rose wasn't sure that that made any sense, but she was tired and still a bit feverishly delirious and she didn't really care.

The Doctor smiled. "Y'know what? I have an idea."

"What?"

"You'll see."

* * *

Rose was a bit confused. The Doctor was bringing her _somewhere_, but it wasn't her room. They had passed her bedroom door. But when she tried to ask the Doctor where they were going, he just told her "You'll see."

Finally, they reached a door that Rose had seen, but never opened.

"I'd tell you to open the door, but you don't have to," said the Doctor.

"Well, who will?"

"I will." He stared at the door for a few moments, and it opened.

"How did you do that?"

"Welcome to my room, Rose."

"Your room?"

"Yeah. Thought you might like to see it."

"Oh."

"And, you know, stay with me. If you want."

Rose grinned. "I will, if the room's nice."

"It is! You'll like it!" He playfully tossed her onto the unmade bed.

Rose laughed as she landed on her back, sinking into the incredible softness of the Doctor's bed. She looked up at the ceiling, which was decorated with stars and planets and comets that all moved. It wasn't like the blanket he had given her, which switched the pattern entirely. This was different, like the real sky.

The TARDIS-blue walls were covered with pictures of different places and times the Doctor had visited, except for the wall facing the bed. That wall was covered with pictures, too, but they all featured a blond-haired girl, fighting the Nestene Consciousness, watching the world end, in a dungeon… in _Cardiff_, running through the streets of London, in a closet inside 10 Downing Street, waiting for a bomb to explode, with a Dalek, inside a terrifying news satellite, and holding her father as he died. The pictures all spiraled around a symbol made of interlocking circles and lines, painted in gold.

"How did you get all of those pictures?" she asked.

"Memories," said the Doctor. "I remembered what happened and the TARDIS turned them into pictures.

"And what's the gold… thing?"

"It's your name, in Gallifreyan. Time Lord language."

"Did you paint it yourself?"

"Like I paint. No, the TARDIS did it."

"It's… it's incredible."

"So…"

"So?"

"So… is it nice enough for you?"

Rose pulled the covers over herself. "Try to get rid of me."

"Fantastic," he said. "Now, if you would be so kind as to avert your eyes; I need to get pajamas on."

Rose grinned, rolled over and buried her head in the pillow.

_What are you doing in here, little one?_

"Hello to you too, TARDIS," said Rose. "And also, I'm clearly not so little that the Doctor doesn't want me in his room."

_Touché._

"Is the TARDIS bugging you, Rose?"

"No, we're fine."

_Yes, Doctor, we're fine. Now finish getting your pajamas on; I can tell that a certain someone's getting just a little impatient._

"Hey!"

_Just trying to help, little one._

"TARDIS! Stop calling me little!"

_You know you like it._

"I don't!"

_I'm telepathic, remember? I know that you like it._

"Doctor, tell your TARDIS—"

"She can't help being telepathic. I can, although just then I chose not to."

"Damn you both."

"Now, now, Rose Tyler, don't say that, or I'll send you right back to your bedroom."

"UGH!"

_Haha, it's two against one and both of us are telepathic._

"You two are driving me absolutely crazy."

"Driving you crazy? Rose Tyler, I hate to tell you, but you're already crazy."

"Am not!"

"You are. If you weren't, you wouldn't have run away from home to join a nine hundred year old alien with two hearts in a big blue box to travel time and space."

"No, I would've been crazy _not_ to."

"Whatever. Oh, and you can look now."

Rose rolled over to see the Doctor in his pajamas... which were covered in bananas.

"Bananas? Your pajamas have _bananas _on them?"

"Bananas are good," said the Doctor as he sat down on the bed.

"I'm not even going to-"

_I don't get it either, little one, and I've known the Doctor for nine hundred years._

"I swear, if you don't stop calling me little, I'm going to... to..."

"What? What can you do? You can't do anything, really."

"Ugh, fine. You two win."

_We always do._

"No, I always do."

_I do, too._

"Okay, maybe."

"When you're _quite _done arguing with your spaceship... God, I never thought I'd be saying that five years ago..."

Everyone laughed, even the TARDIS... well, she projected laughter into their heads.

"Okay, TARDIS, Rose needs to get some sleep. And yes, I should as well. I'm going to shut off the link, okay?"

"Wait, shut off the link?"

"My room can be TARDIS-proofed. I normally just let her talk to me whenever she wants. But I'm not going to, tonight, since you're here."

"Can she still read our minds?"

"Nope, not if I shut her off."

"And why can't you do that in my room?"

"I can. You've just never asked."

_Oh, come on, you like me in your head._

"Maybe a little..."

"Goodnight, TARDIS."

_Goodnight, Doctor. Sweet dreams, Rose. Oh, and one more thing._

"What? Oh, and thanks for not calling me you-know-what."

_He snores._

"HEY!"

_Bye!_

"TARDIS! I DO NOT- oh, damn it, she shut the link off herself. And I don't snore."

_You do!_

"TARDIS!"

"Oh, whatever," said Rose, laughing. "Let's get some sleep."

"You go to sleep," said the Doctor. "There's something I've been wanting to read. And actually read it, too, like a normal person, instead of flipping through the book." He pulled out a large book with a Gallifreyan symbol on it.

"Okay," said Rose. "Do you need to leave the light on, then?"

"No, my sonic has a light on it. Goodnight, Rose."

"Don't stay up all night."

"Oh, the book will only take me an hour or so. As opposed to, like, ten seconds."

Rose laughed. "Goodnight, Doctor."

The Doctor snapped his fingers, and the lights went out. The stars on the ceiling twinkled like the real sky.

"Doctor?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you open the door?"

"Telepathic link with the door," said the Doctor. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and turned on a little blue light.

Rose grinned. "You and your telepathy."

"Sweet dreams, Rose."

* * *

About ten minutes later, the Doctor looked up from his book to find Rose sound asleep, a slight smile on her face.

Wondering what she was dreaming about, the Doctor ran his fingers through her hair, using his telepathic powers to gently probe the surface of her mind. He didn't want to go in too far, knowing she wouldn't like that, but he just wanted a little piece of her thoughts.

Immediately, she filled his head with... it wasn't a thing, really, but just her own Roseness. It was sweet and beautiful and he loved it.

He loved her.

The book can wait, he thought, and so he put it down, turned off his sonic, and cuddled up next to Rose.

* * *

Rose hadn't really been dreaming. She was just quietly asleep, thoughts sometimes slipping in and out. But then she sensed something, a presence in her head. And somehow she knew it was the Doctor, just checking on her, making sure she was okay.

Smiling slightly, she reached out to him, letting him see into her head.

A thought entered into her head, a little whisper from the Doctor to her: "I love you, Rose."

"I love you, too," she thought back, and she rolled onto her side, where she knew his arms would be waiting for her, and they were.

* * *

The Doctor smiled as Rose rolled into his arms. Holding her close, he fell asleep.

* * *

**Hey there everyone!**

**Thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! So far, I have 16 favorites, 17 reviews, and 34 follows, which is the most I've ever gotten on a fanfic. Keep 'em coming! They make me happy!**

**I want to give a special thanks to the user MWLS0927, because he/she is going to translate my story into Chinese and post it on a Chinese online forum! I can't even say how honored I am to hear that. If any other users want to translate this or any other of my stories, please, by all means, PM me.**

**Also, I'd like to thank Alizarin on deviantART for the right to use his/her beautiful picture of Rose and the Doctor as my cover image.**

**I also have a request: I've been getting reviews from a lot of guest users. Some of them are going as just "Guest," and this is a bit confusing because there are like two "Guests" reviewing and I don't know who is who! I don't mind that people are reviewing without logging in, but if you could at least give yourself a name, so I can tell who's saying what, that would be great. And logging in would be even better!**

**Love always,**

**Kathryn Willa**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Rose woke up the next morning, and was immediately confused. She wasn't in her bedroom, or in the room with the rocking chair… Where was she? She could tell she was in the TARDIS, because she could feel the ship's presence nearby. A bedroom, somewhere in the TARDIS… There were pictures all over the wall, and in front of her was… oh, right, her name in Gallifreyan, yes, now she remembered!

She rolled over to see the Doctor, reading the book he had said he was going to read the past night. He didn't notice her at first. She didn't mind that, really. It was nice, watching him read.

A few moments later, the Doctor turned and saw her. "Oh, hey, you're up," he said with a smile. "Good morning, Rose; did you sleep well?"

"Best sleep in days."

"Fantastic!"

"I knew you'd say that." Rose pushed herself up, so she was leaning on one arm. "Hey, did you try to poke around in my head last night?"

"No! Okay, maybe a little."

"I don't mind or anything. It was nice."

"Okay, good. I didn't want to scare you. I didn't even want you to know I was there, really. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"You didn't need to; I was fine."

"Yes, but I wanted to." The Doctor smiled, and bent down to kiss her forehead. "Hey, you feel a lot cooler. TARDIS?"

_Good morning, Doctor and Rose. Did you sleep well?_

"Yes, and could you check Rose's temperature?"

_Let's see… Body temperature is 37 degrees._

"Your fever is broken! Fantastic!"

_Fantastic indeed_, said the TARDIS. _Except, you gave her that fever reducer, which hasn't worn off yet. The real test will be in… two hours and thirteen minutes._

"Come on, TARDIS, you're such a buzzkill," said Rose, laughing. "I was so excited to not be sick anymore."

"Oh, come on, being sick wasn't all that bad, was it?" asked the Doctor. "I mean, I _was_ fussing over you the whole time. That must've made it a lot better."

"Don't flatter yourself. Besides, the nightmares, and it was cold, and I felt awful."

The Doctor pulled Rose up to sitting, and cuddled her closer. "Oh, Rose, you poor thing," he said. He wasn't being sarcastic, either.

"You just went from 'It wasn't that bad' to 'Poor Rose.' What's that about?"

"Oh, Rose, you'll understand when you're completely in love with someone."

Rose kissed his cheek. "Then why don't I understand yet?"

The TARDIS, matchmaking ship that she was, decided that now would be a good time to drop an _Awww, you guys are so cute!_

"Jeez, TARDIS, you're acting like a teenage girl," said Rose, giggling.

"How so?" said the Doctor, while the TARDIS said _What do you mean?_

"Um, well… you see… Oh, never mind," said Rose, realizing that the TARDIS and the Doctor wouldn't understand the whole "teenage gossip" thing.

"Okay," said the Doctor. "Well, anyway, how do you feel, Rose Tyler?"

"Much better," said Rose. "I'm not perfectly well yet, but I do feel a lot better. Better enough to travel, if you want."

"Rose Tyler, until you're absolutely, positively, one-hundred-and-ten percent better, you aren't to take one step outside of this TARDIS. Doctor's orders."

"So I've got to stay here while you have fun adventures? That's not fair."

"It wouldn't be any sort of fun adventure without you, Rose. No, I'll stay with you until you're ready to go." The Doctor took her hands in his. "I'm never, ever leaving you, remember?"

"Won't that be awfully boring for you?"

"I could never be bored around you, Rose Tyler."

"Well, I'm glad I won't have to be alone."

_Hey! You wouldn't be alone! I'd be here!_

"TARDIS, I love you, but there's a difference between a psychic spaceship keeping you company and a person… well, a Time Lord… keeping you company."

_Yeah, the psychic spaceship doesn't snore._

"For the record, I just spent an entire night with the Doctor and he didn't snore once! Not once!"

_He probably snored like five times then. Or five hundred._

"No, he didn't snore at all."

_Really?_

"Really."

_Doctor, did you erase her memories of your snoring or something._

"I DON'T SNORE!"

_Just checking…_

"Well then, Rose Tyler, we'll know how you're doing in two hours and three minutes, when the fever reducer wears off. If you're all better, then off we go, into time—"

"—and space!" finished Rose, laughing. "Why do I feel like we're going to say that a whole lot in the future? TARDIS, can you tell the future? Do we say that again?"

_I don't know, and if I did, I wouldn't tell you._

"Why not?"

_Spoilers!_

"Spoilers?"

_Besides, you shouldn't know your own future. It's not safe. Your timeline could get all screwed up, and you know—_

"Yes, I know what happens when timelines get screwed up," muttered Rose. "Thanks for reminding me, TARDIS." She turned around, burying her head in her hands, trying hard not to cry.

The Doctor telepathically sent a couple of his nastiest curses at the TARDIS, and then gave Rose a hug from behind. "Come here, Rose," he said gently. She turned towards him, and he pulled her in close. "Oh, don't cry," he said. "Don't cry, Rose Tyler. Please don't cry."

Rose looked up to find the Doctor's eyes. They were sweet and gentle and loving, but there was fire, too, angry flame, and Rose was a little scared. She knew the Doctor could be ruthless when pissed off, and she didn't know who was the target of his rage most of the time. This time, though, she was pretty sure she was safe. It didn't make it any less scary.

The Doctor, as always, could sense her feelings - pain, naturally, but then he felt her fear, the fear she had had when he was last mad at her. Chiding himself for his anger at the TARDIS showing as anger at her, he gave her cheeks a gentle caress with the lowest part of each palm, allowing his fingers to rest on her temples.

Rose could tell what the Doctor was doing, and in a few moments, she felt his Time Lord presence in her mind, comforting her. He whispered thoughts into her head, telling her he loved her, and that he wasn't mad at her. She looked into his eyes again. The fire had vanished, leaving nothing but gentle care and love. She couldn't help but smile, just a little, through her tears.

The Doctor, seeing Rose's smile, pulled himself out of her mind, moving his hands away from her head. But he still sensed her pain about what the TARDIS had said. And he didn't blame her. He looked into her eyes, trying to smile but unable to hide her pain, and it killed him.

"Oh, Rose, you're breaking my hearts," he said quietly.

"I'm okay," she whispered back.

"No, you're not, and I don't blame you."

_Rose._

"TARDIS, leave her alone," said the Doctor, a hint of the fire returning to his eyes.

_Rose, please, listen to me, just for a moment._

"TARDIS, I'm warning you—"

_Rose, I'm so sorry. When I mentioned the timelines, I was talking to the Doctor. I forgot you had had… that experience. I didn't mean to hurt you, Rose. I'd never try to hurt you. I shouldn't have said what I said, Rose, and I'm so sorry._

Rose didn't respond. She didn't know what to say.

_Please don't cry, my little one._

Rose wiped her eyes. "When are you going to stop calling me that?"

_Someday, little one, you'll admit that you like it, and on that day, I'll stop._

Rose laughed. "Okay, TARDIS. It's a deal."

_So you aren't mad?_

"No, it's okay. I need to... get over it, I guess."

"Rose," said the Doctor. "Rose, look at me."

Rose looked up at the Doctor. He took her hands in his. "Yeah?"

"Rose, you don't need to 'get over' anything. What happened that day hurt you, and that's normal. That's what happens when we lose people. It hurts. And you're never really going to be over it. It's going to stay with you, always. But that's okay. You shouldn't forget what happened. You shouldn't get over it. You just need to make peace with the bit of it that hurts, the part where you blame yourself."

"Oh, and you can talk, Mr. I-Am-Solely-Responsible-For-The-Extinction-Of-The-Time-Lords."

"Okay, fine, maybe I'm a hypocrite, but you know what? You shouldn't become like me, always blaming yourself. Sometimes, stuff just _happens_. Nobody _causes _it. It just happens, by accident, or it just happens, totally random. And sometimes, it's awful. But other times, something happens out of the blue, and it's not awful; it's fantastic, absolutely fantastic. I saved you from those living plastic dummies on a whim, Rose Tyler. I didn't have to, but I could tell someone was down there and I thought, 'You know what? I'll give her a chance.' And it was the best decision I ever made."

_Excuse me? What about, ahem, acquiring your timeship?_

"Okay, well, that was a good decision too."

_Crucial, I might say. You two wouldn't have met if not for me._

"Okay, that's true."

"When you're quite done deciding which lovely lady was your best choice," teased Rose, "I'm a bit hungry."

_Ah, Rose, the Doctor and I have been together for centuries, but you're something special. And as for your hunger, I believe breakfast in bed is in order._

"Oh, I love breakfast in bed," said Rose. "TARDIS, could you make-"

_I know what you want, little one._

"Yay! Oh, this'll be fun, won't it, Doctor?"

"Fine, Rose Tyler, but don't you _dare_ make a mess on my sheets, _or_ my banana pajamas!"

"I'd never! I'll be careful, I promise."

_Besides, I can just clean it off._

"Thank God for the TARDIS," said Rose, grinning. "What would we do without her?"

Just then, a tray full of food appeared on the Doctor's and Rose's laps.

The Doctor grinned. "Not much, but you know what we would do?"

"What?"

"Make our own breakfast." And they laughed together, like they had throughout all of their adventures all over time and space.

* * *

**Hey everyone! This piece is coming slowly to a close, but I want to thank y'alls for all the support. And also, do you guys like my little nods to the future? And to River?**

**Love always,**

**Kathryn Willa**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

"I'm sorry!"

The Doctor stared at the console, not turning around."

"You promised," he said.

"Doctor, I'm sorry! I said I'm sorry!"

The Doctor turned to face her. "Rose Tyler, you promised you wouldn't spill on my sheets _or_ my banana pajamas, and you spilled all over both."

"Yeah, 'cause you bumped me."

"I did no such thing!" protested the Doctor, walking over to Rose.

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"And it doesn't matter, anyway! The TARDIS cleaned it all up in seconds."

"The point is, you promised, Rose Tyler. I don't know if I can ever trust you again." The Doctor turned his back again.

"Oh my god, I'm _so_ scared."

"You should be," said the Doctor, grinning. He turned around, pulling out his sonic screwdriver. "I'm armed."

"Oh, you're not gonna use that on me." Rose grinned and walked over to the Doctor's side.

"Oh, really? Why not?"

Rose got up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "Because you want me to do that again."

"Rose!"

"Yes, Doctor?"

"How are you so adorable?"

"Dunno. I just come that way."

"C'mere, you," the Doctor laughed, but Rose was too fast for him. She dashed off, and he chased her around the control room a few times before he finally caught her. "Gotcha!" He picked her up and spun her around.

"You shouldn't be running all that much," said the Doctor, putting her down. "You've been sick."

"I've also been keeping track of time, and it's been long enough. TARDIS?"

_Your temperature's stayed down. You're good to go!_

Rose grinned. Then she whispered to the TARDIS, "Three... two... one..."

"Fantastic!"

"Ha! I called it!" said Rose, laughing.

"So you did, Rose Tyler," said the Doctor, grabbing her hands and dancing with her around the control room. "So you did."

They faced each other, holding hands, for a few moments, when the TARDIS decided to help out.

_Just kiss already! You both want to!_

"Maybe a psychic spaceship isn't that bad," said Rose.

"Maybe not," said the Doctor, and they kissed.

* * *

"So, Rose Tyler, now that you're all better, where and when do you want to go?"

"Oh, I don't know, you choose. Whatever you want."

"Anything?"

"Yeah. Wait. No. One condition."

"What is it?"

"No poisonous gas!" said Rose, laughing.

"Absolutely no poisonous gas, I promise. I've had enough of that for a lifetime."

Rose grinned. "So have I."

The Doctor looked over at Rose, and put an arm around her shoulders. "Ready to go?"

"Definitely!"

"Hold on!" And off they went, into time... and space!

_Fin._

* * *

**Hey guys! That's the end of That Time Rose Got Sick! Hope you enjoyed!**

**Special thanks to:**

**Alizarin on deviantART, for the right to use her picture.**

**Meg (MWLS0927) for translating into Chinese!**

**Russell Davies, Steven Moffat (a little bit), Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper, everyone who walks 500 miles (oh, wait, wrong Doctor), and the BBC for bringing my OTP to life**

**And all of you, for reading, reviewing, and being awesome.**

**Love always,**

**Kathryn Willa**


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